This patent madness will continue until the SCOTUS revisits and corrects its mistake with the Bilsky case, and updates US patent law to prevent the lucrative "patent troll" industry from negatively impacting the economy like this. The US patent office seems only too willing to issue broad patents on often ridiculously-vague applications (even those covering prior art), which are then used as anti-competitive weapons by those receiving them.

The patent system is broken, and for the good of the US (and the world's) economy, Obama needs to fix it ASAP.

for further info, see: http://www.groklaw.net